ABOUT US

Vic Shing is a photographer capturing Hong Kong’s independent live music performances. Since 2009, he has been shooting and documenting the changes and continuity in the indie music scene in Hong Kong under the moniker Music Surveillance, tirelessly and relentlessly chronicling gigs and performances in the city. The name Music Surveillance refers to how the cameras are arranged like CCTVs before each show, with Vic Shing oscillating between filming in a fixed location and darting back and forth the venue. Vic Shing does not discriminate between music genres—he’s at every show that interests him. The photographs and video recordings of these shows are uploaded onto the Music Surveillance Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube pages, with almost daily updates.

Vic Shing’s images and videos pay tribute to the work and live performances of Hong Kong’s past and present musicians, and are freeze-frames that document the history of music shows. Reflected through his lens is an alternative history of the city that takes place over the course of ten years; he has chronicled the emergence and breakup of countless bands, as well as important venues in Hong Kong that have since closed down. His work allows the public to revisit Hong Kong’s indie music performances through still and moving images, trace the transformations to artists and venues, and explore the local independent music ecology and subculture. Vic Shing hopes to be able to continually update the content on the website, and ultimately build an essential and meaningful archive of local indie music that contributes to the long-term development of the scene.

Other projects by Vic Shing include:
Meow Surveillance: https://www.instagram.com/meow__surveillance/
Film Camera Surveillance: https://www.instagram.com/film_camera_surveillance/

The project began as a database in 2018, and subsequently received the generous support of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Hong Kong Arts Development Council fully supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council.